Ed's Cloak
by WindsweptZariel
Summary: Simple EdWin drabble which may turn into a story if liked. Winry realizes she still has Ed's cloak and ponders about how his actions in giving it to her have had an effect on her. Chapter 3 and 4 up!Chapter 3 eh so so. Chapter 4 much better.
1. Chapter 1

**Ed's Cloak**

By WindsweptZariel

Disclaimer: I don't own FullMetal Alchemist or any of the characters in this story.

Summary: Simple Ed/Win drabble where Winry ponder's Ed giving her his cloak. May continue into a more elaborate story if liked.

Ed wrapped his cloak around her. It was a simple gesture, one he may have done for anyone in distress. Still, it wasn't just the gesture, but the gentle words he spoke to her and the way he caressed her hand with his thumb. His touch was what got to her the most. In all their years knowing each other, he hardly touched her. Even when they met up with each other after being apart for a while, they never hugged. But in this distressed situation, facing the killer of her parents right in front of her, he was there for her. He kept her from shooting the gun and convinced her not to shoot. In the end it was him holding her hands that got her to drop it. She could feel his heart racing even at arms length away from him. When she started to cry into his chest, he held on to her shoulders. For a brief moment, he held her, but he held her none the less. She knew he had to help his brother when he let go of her. However, before he left he gave her his cloak which she now stared at in her arms a week later.

She was back at Rush Valley, in the room she rented behind the automail shop. In spite of having been back for a while, she had not been able to unpack until just now. She was very busy at the shop. This person needed their arm adjusted, that person needed a new leg and still others were begging for the new lighter metal she was using. It was tiring, but she was being well compensated for her work. She was in demand and people were willing to pay extra and even wait at few extra days for her work.

Waiting…

Now she knew what it was like to have people waiting for her. No longer was it just about waiting for him. She looked at his red cloak once again and lifted it up to her nose. She could smell that familiar scent of him. It was a clean mildly spicy smell mixed with his sweat and 'Was that cologne?' she thought.

'No that smells a bit like the perfume I wear.' She surmised that after being in the suitcase with her things, it had taken on her scent as well. That thought gave her a warm feeling inside-their scents being mixed together. She giggled to herself a little before collapsing on her bed and pulling the cloak over her. She was so tired having missed so much sleep that she succumbed to her tiredness right away. She dreamed that his arms were wrapped around her instead of his cloak.

Winry had realized she was in love.


	2. Chapter 2

Ed's Cloak

Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own FullMetal Alchemist or its characters etc…

Winry woke up the next morning to a knock on the door. She stirred in her bed covering her ears with her pillow denying that she needed to get up.

"Ugh, no." she murmured as she opened her eyes. She looked over to her clock. It was 10:00 am.

"Shoot!" She exclaimed "It's 10:00!" There was another knock at the door. She shot out of her bed and went toward the door. She was fully expecting it to be her boss, Mr. Garfiel. "Just a minute." She responded toward the door.

Winry opened the door and to her surprise Gracia Hughes was at the door. Winry suddenly perked up and gave her a big smile.

"Hello Mrs. Hughes!" She stated brightly. "Is Elicia with you?"

"Uh…Hi Winry, No, um… she's with her grandparents this weekend. Uh they …thought I needed… a break." Gracia said awkwardly and giving Winry a strange look. She noticed Winry had Ed's cloak wrapped around her.

Winry thinking that Gracia was uncomfortable talking in the doorway invited her into the living room and shut the door. They sat down on the leather couch.

"Winry, is Ed here?" She questioned.

"Uh, now why would he…" She started to say but became embarrassed as she noticed Gracia looking at his cloak around her.

With her face tinged pink, she said "Oh! The cloak? I'll explain. Would you like anything to eat or drink before I do?"

"No thank you, Winry. I just came here because I heard you've been through quite an ordeal. I wanted to see how you were." Gracia smiled.

Winry smiled and thanked her as she began to explain everything leading up to her wearing Ed's cloak.

She started with a big sigh. "Ordeal. Yes, that's why I have Ed's cloak. I haven't gotten the chance to give it back to him. I figured I'd fix the tears in it first."

"You seem pretty attached to it." Said Gracia half teasingly.

Winry blushed again; followed by a frown. Looking down, Winry proceeded to tell her her story.

"Ed saved me. Not just physically." She said shaking her head slightly. "I guess you could say he saved my soul."

Winry looked up at Gracia with sad but hopeful eyes and Gracia took a hold of her hand.

"After I visited with you at the cemetery, I left quickly do you remember?" Gracia nodded.

"I heard a bunch of people talking about 'the Erlic brothers' were getting in a fight with 'the Alchemist Killer'. To my shock I saw Ed in a confrontation with him, Al was there too but Ed was…" Tears began to well up in Winry's eyes. "Ed asked him if he was responsible for…for." She began to sob.

"Winry if this is too much for you…" Gracia responded and squeezed her hand.

"No, no!" Winry interrupted "I want to continue." She took a deep breath and felt better.

"Ed asked this man, Scar, if he was the one who killed my parents. He didn't deny it. I cried out 'Bring them back!' and found a gun on the ground next to me. I picked it up and aimed it at him." She stopped with a sigh.

"I couldn't shoot. All I can remember is Ed saying 'Don't shoot' over and over. Eventually this 'Scar' started to reach for my head and Ed jumped right in front of me and held down my arm that was holding the gun. He literally blocked my body with his. Then Al distracted Scar and told Ed to get me to safety while he led the man somewhere else. I was pretty much still in shock and couldn't let go of the gun."

Winry then looked up at Gracia's eyes and continued slowly. "He caressed my hands with his thumb and he said such kind words to me that I was able to drop the gun." She smiled.

"He said that my hands were for keeping people alive and not for killing. Then, I practically threw myself at him and he held me for a minute, but then he had to go help Al." She paused.

"He let me go with the officer and later he explained everything to me. I thanked him for saving me, but I had to come back here to my customers. When I got on the train Ed was acting really funny." She paused again for a moment and then continued.

"He acted like he wanted to say something to me but was frustrated at the loudness of the train and started to walk away. Al quickly said 'goodbye', but Ed suddenly turned around and shouted to me and said that the next time he would make me cry it would be tears of happiness." Winry finished and smiled slightly.

"It was then, and after I saw his back as the train pulled away, that I realized that my feelings for him ran deeper than that of a friend. I really believe that I am falling for him, Mrs. Hughes." She looked a Gracia longingly.

"As he is for you." Gracia assumed.

Winry's eyes grew large and here face red. "I don't think so, Mrs. Hughes. He was just being kind when he held me. I am just a sister to him." She responded sadly.

Gracia sighed strongly. "Oh, Winry, from his actions and awkwardness at the train station, I wouldn't say you're _just_ a sister to him."

Winry in response leaned on Gracia's shoulder and said. "I just don't know."

Gracia squeezed Winry's shoulder and said "Well, I guess the only way you'll really know is if you tell him how you feel and you ask him how he feels."

Winry's eyes widened again. "Oh no! I can't do that!"

Gracia rolled her eyes and sighed "Young love."

Winry had a confused look on her face and was about to speak when there was a knock at he door. She got up quickly from the sofa and answered the door. To her surprise, it was her old friend, Nelly. She looked very upset and her clothes were worn. Nelly was in a brown dress and her normally well kempt hair was all over the place.

"Nelly?'' Winry asked with a puzzled look on her face.

Nelly was a friend of hers from childhood and never left Rizenbul so this was really a shock to her.

'Winry…I have some really bad news." She said very sadly.

Winry's heart raced and frowned.

……………………………………………………………………..

Meanwhile, Ed was in the state of disbelief and shock himself. He had just looked in the face of who he thought was his father.

"You can't be him…you…behind _all_ of this?" He struggled to say. It was bad enough that he had just escaped the pits of Gluttony's stomach, bad enough even that he was able to open the gate and see his brother's body but couldn't bring him back, now to face this person, this "Father" who was responsible for creating the homunculi who seems to be his father as well. It was almost more than he could take.

"Damn it, you killed all those people?" Ed cried out wanting to kill this man but he knew it would do no good to try. He was so angry and confused at the same time. After his father had left him and his brother and mother he had always looked at his father as an irresponsible jerk who didn't want the responsibilities of being a father, but he never believed he was capable of such evil. In addition, if he had destroyed the people of Xerxes he would have to be a couple hundred years old and that would mean he couldn't be human. It all made no sense to him. How could his father not be human and_ he_ was? Was he not human too? Ed became more and more frustrated. He didn't know what to do or what to say.

"Are you really my father?" He asked. Al was just as shocked but didn't feel to the full extent that Ed did due to the fact that he did not have his body yet. Father did not answer. He only directed Envy and Gluttony to leave the room and take Ling with them to the place Roy was being held.

Ed began to have doubts about "Father." He began to think he just looked like his father. However, he _was_ sure he was the one responsible for the evil of the homunculus.

Ed yelled louder. "Did you destroy Xerxes? Are you the one that brought down Ishbal?"

Father was still stone-faced and quiet.

Ed's heart began rapidly. He almost felt as if he could cry but he held strong. He was thinking of Winry's parents.

"Did you direct Scar to kill…kill Winry's parents?" His eyes were quite large. Thinking about Winry's hurt made him pain so much. Why was it that his thoughts kept going back to her so much recently, and why does her pain hurt him so badly?

Still no answer.

Suddenly, King Bradley walked in.

"It is done." He said. "Rizenbul is ours."

"WHAT!" Ed shouted.

'Father' talked briefly to the side with Bradley and just looked down and shook his head.

"I tried to warn her.' He said without emotion.

'Granny' Ed thought to himself sadly. Then he looked at Al who looked downtrodden as well.

Al looked over at Ed and said calmly. "Winry, needs you, Ed."

…To be continued.


	3. Chapter 3

Ed's Cloak

Chapter 3

Disclaimer: FullMetal Alchemist and its characters are not mine they belong toHiromu Arakawa and everyone else involved.

Update to this chapter. Since Chapter 54 of the Manga turned out the way it did, it changes a few things in this story. I don't feel like rehashing the incidents in 54, you can read the chapter. This chapter (my story) starts in the home of "Father". We are assuming here Greed/Ling, Envy, and Gluttony have left the room and we are left with Ed, Al, Father, and Bradley. Ed is very upset and confused both about Winry and her grandmother and Ling.

Sorry about the continuity problems. Just use your willing suspension of disbelief. :)

Warning: I wrote this tired. Short chapter but next will be better. Not my best writing.

"Let's get out of here" said Ed desperately. He was terribly distraught about what happened to Ling and the revelation that Granny Pinako was gone. All he could think about now was getting far away from this evil. He was no longer pinned by Envy and has his chance to escape.

"RUN!" Ed shouted and he ran as fast as he could out into the air but Al was pulled backward by Father. Ed went back for him.

"No, you go!" shouted Al "There's nothing we can do if we are_ both_ prisoners." Bradley pulled Al back with him and disappeared.

"Bu…." Ed started but was forcibly pulled into a car as it sped off. They were about a mile down the road before Ed could react to the driver. She was dressed in a tan trench coat with a white scarf covering her face and sunglasses on her eyes. Her hair was tucked up into her hat.

"Who the hell are you and where are you taking me! I need to rescue my little brother!" He shouted.

"Sorry, wait till we are further out. I'll explain then. I am taking a real risk to do this." She replied.

"I don't care about your risks! I just want my brother safe." He stated more quietly.

"I heard you say 'run'; I am helping you run." She said. "Besides, considering he is a 'precious sacrifice' they will not harm him."

"What do _you_ know about 'precious sacrifices'?" He questioned scowling at her.

"Only about as much as you know, Ed" she replied. Ed's eyes widened 'How does she know my name?' he thought.

Then, the woman took off her hat, sunglasses and scarf. It was Riza Hawkeye.

"Lui…" he started but she interrupted.

"Just call me Riza for now ok? This is not official military business. This is personal."

"Uh, ok." He blushed a little. She looked pretty with her hair down and it was weird to think of her as a woman and not just as an officer. "Can you tell me where we are going now?" he asked plainly. They were out of Central and on a farm road in the countryside, halfway to their destination.

"Rush Valley" She began to explain. "I got a call from Winry's boss. He says she is very distressed. Gracia Hughes is with her but she needs to get back to Central. I think it would be best if she were with someone she is close with. You and Al are all she has left."

Ed sighed. How was he going to comfort her? He thought. He hated seeing her cry. He did vow that he would make her cry tears of joy, but now her grandmother was gone and she would be crying in sadness again. He envisioned that she would be happy when they next met. "How did you find me?" he asked.

"I followed Bradley and was waiting outside hoping you'd come out." She hesitated in her speaking. He saw a sad look in her eyes.

"Everything's falling apart…" She trailed off quietly. She banged on the steering wheel hard. Then she pulled over and put her head down and began to cry.

Ed was shocked at this. Riza was never like this. She was usually quite stoic when it came to the military and bad news. This was different though. The revelation that Bradley was a homunculus and Roy was held prisoner was really weighing down on her. For some reason she felt secure enough to cry in front of Ed. He didn't quite know how to react. It certainly felt different than when Winry cried. He felt sad but it didn't hurt him as much.

"Ar…Are you ok?" He hesitated to ask gently touching her shoulder.

Suddenly Riza put her head back up and with tears in her eyes wrapped her arms around Ed for comfort and cried into her shoulder for less than a minute. Then, she sat up, wiped her tears with a tissue, and spoke like her old self again:

"Sometimes you've just got to cry to remind yourself that you are still human, Ed." Ed understood what she was saying and frowned.

To be continued…


	4. Chapter 4

Ok, Finally! Here's Chapter 4!

It's a little more than PG rated for some "innuendo." But it's clean.

Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist etc. etc.etc...

Chapter 4 -**Ed's Cloak**

"It's just not right." Mused Ed after seeing Riza cry. She regained her composure and was back on the road again.

"I know." Was all she said.

Ed was slouched in his seat in the car. He felt uneasy but decided to ask Riza a question.

"Uh…Riza?"

"Yes Ed?" She responded.

"What can I do to help Winry feel better? What do I say?" He asked awkwardly. "It seems whenever I try to help her feel better I just end up making her cry more."

Riza smiled to herself. He is acting like a typical clueless male teen. She thought. But she was also touched by his concern for his friend. This was hard for Ed. He really didn't have the example of a loving father to show what it was to be a man and how to comfort a woman. As well as he knew Winry; he didn't really know her.

"You may not need to say anything, Ed. You might just need to listen…or hold her." She trailed off. Physical affection was something Riza always wanted but felt uncomfortable with because her mother died at a young age and her father was a military man who had trouble showing affection after he lost his wife.

Ed looked at her quizzically. "Listen or what? I'm sorry, I didn't hear you."

Riza blushed a little. "I said hold her. She may want you to hold her." She managed to say. "She may be a bit standoffish though." She said more gruffly.

"Yeah, you're right. When her parents died, Al tried to give a toy to her he had alchemized to cheer her up, but she threw it across the room. Now she throws wrenches. Hmm… Maybe I should make myself some head gear." He said half seriously.

"Humph" Riza replied.

"I guess I'll just see when I get there. I'll let her know I'm there for her and she can throw as many wrenches at me as she wants." He affirmed. "Maybe it will numb the pain." He looked down sadly.

"Hers or yours?" Riza asked wisely.

He looked at her with great surprise at her understanding. He sighed.

"Maybe both."

After a couple hours they arrived in Rush Valley in front of Garfiel's Automail.  
Riza was about to get out but signaled Ed to stay there for now.

"What's the problem?" He questioned.  
"Ed your clothes are all bloody still. I don't think it would be good for her to see you like that. I'll ask Mr. Garfiel if you can wash up somewhere before you see Winry."

Ed nodded. He knew the last thing Winry should see is blood stained clothes on him. A few minutes later Riza came out with a bag in hand. She walked over to Ed's door and opened it up. She handed him the bag.

"Ed," Riza began pointing to a door toward the back. "That door is then entrance to Winry's apartment. That bag I gave you is to put your bloody clothes in. Mr. Garfiel said he would take care of getting them washed. You can take a shower in her apartment. Winry is at a small memorial service at the local cemetery. Due to the unrest in Rizenbool she was not able to go back to recover her grandmother's body."

Ed sighed for not being there.

She continued. "He said she'll be on her way back soon and we could wait for her at her apartment and he'd let her know we were there. I can't stay though. I need to get back to Central."  
"No, Lieutenant" Ed responded. "I'm sure they know you are gone. Who knows what they might do!"

"It's Ok, Ed. I'm too precious as a pawn to the Fuehrer. He's not done with me yet." She smiled.

"Just be careful." Ed said as he stepped up to Winry's apartment.

"Bye, Ed." She replied.

About 15 minutes later. Winry walked quietly toward home alone looking rather sad. She was wearing a black short sleeved dress and carried a black hat in her hands. Her blond hair hung loosely over her face. Her face seemed to carry all the sadness of the world. She never felt so alone in all her life. Even when her parents died she always had her Granny Pinako to turn to for comfort but now she was gone too and she felt like she had no one. No one that was around that is. Or so she thought…She began to use her key to open the door to her apartment when she noticed that it was unlocked.

Meanwhile, Ed was finishing up in the shower when he decided to let his neck soak in the soothing water for a bit. He didn't hear her come in the door.

Winry entered her apartment cautiously and noticed that the shower was running. She was scared and she dropped her hat on the floor. She didn't see her boss when she came back so she had no idea Ed was there. Deciding she would confront the intruder rather than calling the police, she quietly reached into an end table drawer and pulled out a wrench. She looked at the wrench and her face changed.

'No more' she thought to herself. 'I'm sick and tired of all the people who have wronged me in my life. This person is going to pay!'

Slowly, she sneaked passed the main room toward her bathroom with her right arm raised ready to pummel the person who has invaded her home. She walked in the bathroom and quickly opened the shower door ready to strike! She nearly screamed when she saw it was Ed. Fortunately for Ed, she noticed it was him before her wrench made contact with his head. (Although he was used to her wrench) She immediately dropped it and it made a loud clang which startled Ed from his relaxed stupor and he turned around to find her there. He jumped and almost screamed. His eyes were as big saucers. At this time, he was not sure if he was more surprised at her standing there or the fact that she did not hit him with the wrench.

Winry hung her head down to the floor. She wasn't really embarrassed because her sadness was overwhelming any awkwardness she may have felt. He started to open his mouth to speak when suddenly he felt her warm tears flowing down his chest. She had thrown herself into his arms, embracing him tightly. Surprisingly, he didn't flinch at her actions. However, he did feel very self-conscious. Sure, she had seen him in his boxers before, but somehow that little piece of clothing made all the difference in his embarrassment level. He gently placed his left arm around her and he turned the water off with his right arm. He then grabbed a towel and managed to wrap the towel around his waist with one hand without interrupting his hold on her.

Her sobs were leaving a burning feeling in his heart and he yearned to make everything well for her again. He vowed to make her happy before but now she was sad…again. However, he was wise enough to know that he wasn't the cause of her unhappiness. It was the evil he had no choice but to face… eventually. For now his duty was to her. He wasn't sure exactly why Riza had thought it so important that he be there for Winry, but he suspected she knew how Winry felt.

Suddenly, he felt Winry's knees begin to buckle. She started to fall when he picked her up into his arms and cradled her. He climbed out of the shower careful not to slip on the wet floor and carried her to her bedroom. He placed her on the bed gently but when he tried to pull away from her she wouldn't let go. He fell down next to her on the bed. She laid her head on his chest again, still crying but softer. He hated seeing her cry but somehow he felt good holding her. It made him feel strong, protective.

They lay there like that for a few minutes when Winry noticed Ed was shivering. She grabbed his cloak that was next to them on the bed and wrapped it around him.

"I'm sorry Ed" She sobbed. "I didn't even let you get dressed."

"It's ok, Winry." He said.

"But your freezing…your hair is all wet. Here let me dry it for you." She said pulling a Houdini by grabbing the towel that was wrapped around his waist without moving the cloak that was now the only piece of clothing between her and him.

She straddled herself on his waist and started to dry his hair with the towel. He felt increasingly awkward with her sitting on him like that. Her actions were done innocently. She was only trying to dry his hair so he wouldn't be so cold. He knew that, but he was feeling strange inside. Winry was his friend all his life. They had often wrestled and tickled each other as kids. So being pinned by her as he was now was probably not the first time. But it was the first time he felt tingly inside.

She rubbed his hair gently and soothingly. He looked up at her face innocently with a slight smile. She flashed a sad smile at him before returning her gaze to his hair. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the massage his scalp was receiving. Then, suddenly, Winry became aware of the position she was in. She had begun to dry the back of Ed's hair and he had propped himself up on his elbows so she could reach better. He wasn't thinking about the fact that she had been straddled on his stomach and that this action would slide her down to his hips. Her eyes widened and she could feel how red her face must have been. She immediately jumped up off him and landed to the right of him on the bed. Ed snickered desperately trying to hold back a laugh to no avail. Winry scowled at him.

"What's so funny?" she fumed.

"Ha ha," He laughed. "I…huh…sorry. It was just…just the way jumped off of me."

He continued as she looked at him sternly. "You just jumped really high."

His eyes were tearing from stifling his laughter. "You looked like you saw a mouse."

To Ed's surprise, Winry began to laugh very strongly at his last comment.

'More like a snake.' She thought to herself and began to laugh again till tears were falling down her face.

After a few moments, they calmed down and just smiled at each other. Ed noticed a few tears on Winry's face. He cupped her cheek with his left hand, his flesh hand, and gently brushed one tear away with his thumb. He looked at her with concern.

She smiled. "Well, you did tell me you would make me cry 'tears of happiness!'"

He smiled back. "Yeah, I did."


End file.
